After all, the new HTC One (M8) impressed us with its polished design and powerful hardware, but it seems that HTC could have offered a little more in the camera department. Moreover, other devices offer some unique features that you won’t find on the new HTC One. For instance, you have a fingerprint reader on the Galaxy S5, and some users might want that feature. Others might crave a device with a larger display like a phablet, which the One (M8) is not.

With all this in mind, it’s time to sum up the best alternatives to the new HTC One, and it’s up to you to decide which one to get. Take a look below, and let us know your thoughts on all these handsets and how they compare to the new One.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is clearly the biggest HTC One (M8) rival, and for a good reason - Samsung will certainly put all the power of its marketing machine behind its latest flagship. Marketing aside, though, the Galaxy S5 is a good alternative to the new One for a few reasons. First and foremost, preliminary tests show that the Galaxy S5 has a superior camera, as images we have seen so far from it are richer in detail, and with a great color balance. The Galaxy S5 is also water and dust resistant, something that the HTC One (M8) is not. Samsung’s phone is also slightly faster, and its TouchWiz user interface has its specific allure (TouchWiz alone is not an advantage in itself, though). Add the fingerprint scanner and the heart rate monitor, and the Galaxy S5 clearly emerges as a worthy HTC One (M8) alternative. Keep in mind, though, that the Galaxy S5 is not available yet in retail stores - you’d have to wait until April 11th for that.

Samsung Galaxy S5

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Sony has switched to 6-month release cycles with its recent smartphones, and the Xperia Z2 fits in that pattern, coming just half a year after the Z1. In that short time span, Sony has managed to improve the Z1 greatly, fixing all the broken little pieces. First, the screen on the Xperia Z2 no longer suffers from poor viewing angles, a crippling issue that has persisted in the Xperia Z and Xperia Z1. Sony has also packed its flagship Android smartphone full with the latest specs, including a speedy Snapdragon 801 system chip with 3GB of RAM, while the HTC One (M8) features just 2GB. Sony also sticks to its excellent 20-megapixel camera with a large sensor, while HTC’s UltraPixel experiment seems to lack behind in terms of image quality. All of that makes the Xperia Z2 an excellent alternative to the HTC One (M8). Just as the Samsung Galaxy S5, though, the Xperia Z2 is not yet available in stores - it’s expected to launch around mid-April.

Sony Xperia Z2

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The LG G2 launched a few months back, but in that short period, LG has already slashed the price of the phone hugely. Now, you can get the G2 for a much lower price than the HTC One (M8), and still end up with a similarly well-specced device! The G2 has another trump card in the form of its 13-megapixel rear-facing camera (with optical image stabilization), which at first sight seems to have the slight edge over the UltraPixel (4-megapixel) camera on the One (M8). Price and camera make a strong case for the LG G2, but keep in mind that it’s plastic build is nowhere near as solid as the unibody aluminum HTC One (M8).

LG G2

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The Nexus 5 is a device that we could call ‘the tinkerer’s phone’. It comes with the latest Android 4.4 KitKat, it’s first in line for future Android updates, and it sports stock Android with no custom skins on top. Moreover, just like the LG G2, the Nexus 5 is much, much cheaper - it’s actually half the price of the HTC One (M8) Google Play edition! At the same time, the trade-off in power is minimal, as the Nexus 5 runs on just a slightly less powerful chip than the M8: the N5 has got the Snapdragon 800, while the new One comes with the Snapdragon 801. In terms of cameras, the difference is not all that huge either, but the Nexus 5 still seems to have the slight edge if you count image quality alone (and it’s got OIS). Finally, all of that combines to make the Nexus 5 a worthy alternative to the new HTC One.

Nexus 5

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The Apple iPhone 5s remains the world’s most popular smartphone thanks to both Apple’s huge iOS ecosystem, its performance pwoer and excellent craftsmanship. The iPhone 5s also has a much more compact footprint than any other high-end smartphone on the market. Compact, however, does not mean slow, and in fact the iPhone 5s is roughly on par with the new HTC One in terms of processing power. All in all, choosing between the iPhone 5s and the new One, is a lot about choosing platform and size - if you want to go Apple and prefer a compact phone, the iPhone 5s is an obvious choice, while if you prefer Android and a larger display, the new One is more suitable.

Apple iPhone 5s

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Our final worthy alternative to the new HTC One is a truly gigantic phone - the LG G Pro 2. With its huge 5.9” 1080p display, the G Pro 2 is considered to be in a different category, that of phablets. The G Pro 2 also comes with a powerful Snapdragon 800 system chip and a very capable 13-megapixel camera with OIS, plus it’s surprisingly compact for its size (it’s still large, though!). This handset would be the best HTC One alternative for those users looking for a larger screen for media, games and browsing/reading.

LG G Pro 2

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is clearly the biggest HTC One (M8) rival, and for a good reason - Samsung will certainly put all the power of its marketing machine behind its latest flagship. Marketing aside, though, the Galaxy S5 is a good alternative to the new One for a few reasons. First and foremost, preliminary tests show that the Galaxy S5 has a superior camera, as images we have seen so far from it are richer in detail, and with a great color balance. The Galaxy S5 is also water and dust resistant, something that the HTC One (M8) is not. Samsung’s phone is also slightly faster, and its TouchWiz user interface has its specific allure (TouchWiz alone is not an advantage in itself, though). Add the fingerprint scanner and the heart rate monitor, and the Galaxy S5 clearly emerges as a worthy HTC One (M8) alternative. Keep in mind, though, that the Galaxy S5 is not available yet in retail stores - you’d have to wait until April 11th for that.

Best HTC One (M8) alternatives

1. Samsung Galaxy S5

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is clearly the biggest HTC One (M8) rival, and for a good reason - Samsung will certainly put all the power of its marketing machine behind its latest flagship. Marketing aside, though, the Galaxy S5 is a good alternative to the new One for a few reasons. First and foremost, preliminary tests show that the Galaxy S5 has a superior camera, as images we have seen so far from it are richer in detail, and with a great color balance. The Galaxy S5 is also water and dust resistant, something that the HTC One (M8) is not. Samsung’s phone is also slightly faster, and its TouchWiz user interface has its specific allure (TouchWiz alone is not an advantage in itself, though). Add the fingerprint scanner and the heart rate monitor, and the Galaxy S5 clearly emerges as a worthy HTC One (M8) alternative. Keep in mind, though, that the Galaxy S5 is not available yet in retail stores - you’d have to wait until April 11th for that.

2. Sony Xperia Z2

Sony has switched to 6-month release cycles with its recent smartphones, and the Xperia Z2 fits in that pattern, coming just half a year after the Z1. In that short time span, Sony has managed to improve the Z1 greatly, fixing all the broken little pieces. First, the screen on the Xperia Z2 no longer suffers from poor viewing angles, a crippling issue that has persisted in the Xperia Z and Xperia Z1. Sony has also packed its flagship Android smartphone full with the latest specs, including a speedy Snapdragon 801 system chip with 3GB of RAM, while the HTC One (M8) features just 2GB. Sony also sticks to its excellent 20-megapixel camera with a large sensor, while HTC’s UltraPixel experiment seems to lack behind in terms of image quality. All of that makes the Xperia Z2 an excellent alternative to the HTC One (M8). Just as the Samsung Galaxy S5, though, the Xperia Z2 is not yet available in stores - it’s expected to launch around mid-April.

3. LG G2

The LG G2 launched a few months back, but in that short period, LG has already slashed the price of the phone hugely. Now, you can get the G2 for a much lower price than the HTC One (M8), and still end up with a similarly well-specced device! The G2 has another trump card in the form of its 13-megapixel rear-facing camera (with optical image stabilization), which at first sight seems to have the slight edge over the UltraPixel (4-megapixel) camera on the One (M8). Price and camera make a strong case for the LG G2, but keep in mind that it’s plastic build is nowhere near as solid as the unibody aluminum HTC One (M8).

4. Nexus 5

The Nexus 5 is a device that we could call ‘the tinkerer’s phone’. It comes with the latest Android 4.4 KitKat, it’s first in line for future Android updates, and it sports stock Android with no custom skins on top. Moreover, just like the LG G2, the Nexus 5 is much, much cheaper - it’s actually half the price of the HTC One (M8) Google Play edition! At the same time, the trade-off in power is minimal, as the Nexus 5 runs on just a slightly less powerful chip than the M8: the N5 has got the Snapdragon 800, while the new One comes with the Snapdragon 801. In terms of cameras, the difference is not all that huge either, but the Nexus 5 still seems to have the slight edge if you count image quality alone (and it’s got OIS). Finally, all of that combines to make the Nexus 5 a worthy alternative to the new HTC One.

5. Apple iPhone 5s

The Apple iPhone 5s remains the world’s most popular smartphone thanks to both Apple’s huge iOS ecosystem, its performance pwoer and excellent craftsmanship. The iPhone 5s also has a much more compact footprint than any other high-end smartphone on the market. Compact, however, does not mean slow, and in fact the iPhone 5s is roughly on par with the new HTC One in terms of processing power. All in all, choosing between the iPhone 5s and the new One, is a lot about choosing platform and size - if you want to go Apple and prefer a compact phone, the iPhone 5s is an obvious choice, while if you prefer Android and a larger display, the new One is more suitable.

6. LG G Pro 2

Our final worthy alternative to the new HTC One is a truly gigantic phone - the LG G Pro 2. With its huge 5.9” 1080p display, the G Pro 2 is considered to be in a different category, that of phablets. The G Pro 2 also comes with a powerful Snapdragon 800 system chip and a very capable 13-megapixel camera with OIS, plus it’s surprisingly compact for its size (it’s still large, though!). This handset would be the best HTC One alternative for those users looking for a larger screen for media, games and browsing/reading.

1.papss (unregistered)

I know... I was so set on getting the Z2 and I was so sure about it... Until I heard the news that it might only comes out in Verizon and watch some camera feature that HTC One (M8) offers.... Now I'm torn....

I would say all these carriers dont get their sh!t together and definitely dont want to benefit the customers. They are the vampires sucking their customers dry by not giving them all the benefits they could from the mobile manufacturors.

I agree. I was set on the Z2. Seems like the best all around phone coming. But now with Verizon only, it's out. Don't like the camera on the new HTC. The S5 is ugly. LG G2 is old now. Nexus is old. Apple? Get real. G2 pro 2? Last years specs. Looks like I might not be able to take advantage of T-mobile's Jump!. Nothing I want to Jump to. Picky I am...

Actually I am very open minded when it comes to smartphone. Even as an Android fan, I still can see the value and goods in iPhone and iOS. Every manufacturer brings something different to the table and that's what drives the industry forward. Back then when Blackberry is basically the only smartphone maker, they stood still for years... Now they are left in the dust. I like to try out different phones from different companies. However, if you pay attention on the amount of stories they put out on the a certain phone, Apple and Samsung will always come out on top. Even an article only contains 10 lines to talk about some simple thing...

1st of all G Pro2 should not be considered as its a different category. If you decide to consider phablets also as an option then omitting Note 3 is unpardonable. It should be among the 1st consideration if you include phablets as it is still the best.

I won't go with Samsung ever again after my Galaxy S3, I had for for 12 days and returned it. I'm on Verizon and the S3 could not maintain a signal at all, someone at Verizon told me the Samsung uses weaker antennas, I don't know of that's true or not.

I would have gone with Sony's Z2, but the last time Sony released a phone on Verizon was that weird gaming gaming phone. So I won't hold my breath for another Sony phone on Verizon. I might have gone with the LG G2, but it's interface feels too much like TouchWiz and I hate TouchWiz with a passion, it bugs me that the button that should bring up recent apps brings up an option menu instead.

I don't get why all the hate this site is giving the new HTC One, before it came out you guys were loving it and now its out, you're giving it crap.

Ordered two M8 for me and the wifey. The only other phone that would have been an option is the Z2, but the Z2 and M8 being equal, the M8 looks so much better, so we went went those. Sammy isn't in the same category as the M8 or Z2, so it wasn't even considered by either of us.

i'm not sure about the Z2 for me...it has the specs but when i put the phone in my hand all of that seems to go out the window from the design, feel in my hand, and UI...im just not a fan of it overall but it does have a good camera though

For me the most well rounded phone of the year goes to Sony Xperia Z2. It's got what the HTC One M8 is missing; great camera, while one can still argue that more megapixels doesn't really equate to good quality photos, 4 megapixels is still 4 megapixels. Xperia Z2 also got what the Galaxy S5 missed; premium build quality and front facing speakers, this maybe subjective but everybody loves a great looking phone and front facing speakers! Plus Z2 got an ample battery capacity, waterproofing and dustproofing are all a plus so Xperia Z2 for me! But that very well may change till the G3 comes out.

So the best alternatives include 2 devices that aren't available, 1 device with a considerably smaller screen running a different OS, and a considerably larger device in a different size category that isn't even the best device in that category?

i think the Motorola Moto X should have been on the list. It might not have been a power house but it focuses on features that really mean something.(to its users). i mean who would want a heart rate monitor on their phone. All they need is a phone which could make a simple phone call and other features of a smartphone.

i think the Motorola Moto X should have been on the list. It might not have been a power house but it focuses on features that really mean something.[(to its users)(Which matter)]. i mean who would want a heart rate monitor on their phone. All they need is a phone which could make a simple phone call and other features of a smartphone.

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